Where to start your own blog
Blogging is a super-hot trend that's getting hotter every day. I regularly receive questions from people interested in starting a blog, and I'm amazed that so many people who have been using computers and the Internet for years — quite adeptly — have no idea how to get started.
A blog is basically a Web site that uses some sort of pre-designed interface that lets you quickly and easily enter new content without any need to learn HTML programming or Web-site design. The content you enter is typically either text or links to files, such as a podcast.
There are two basic ways to start your own blog: Install blogging software into your own Web hosting system, or sign up for a free blog at one of the many sites that offer free blog hosting. The latter choice is the easiest route for those who are new to blogging and for those who aren't comfortable installing Web-based applications.
Over the years, I've used a number of different free blog-hosting services. The ones I found most useful are Wordpress.com, Blogsome, LiveJournal, and Blogger.
Wordpress.com and Blogsome.com are based on the hugely popular and highly functional Wordpress software, which is freely available to those who want to install it on their own Web sites. LiveJournal formerly used its own custom blog software, but when it joined with MoveableType, the two companies began merging technologies. Blogger is owned by Google, and it uses its own custom blogging software too.
Each of the above blog hosting sites lets you pick a ready-made layout for your blog. They also let you customize the layout and content to some extent.
Before making your final choice, consider signing up for a blog at each of the sites to test-drive their interfaces. Be sure to review their features as well as their add-on and customization offerings to see which one best suits your needs.
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